Devoted to Children

Devoted to Children is a non-profit organization focused on supporting orphaned,abandoned, and enslaved children in Haiti. Their current projects include a family home where currently 8 children reside, as well as a tutoring program for children in the surrounding community.

I went to high school with Kristen O Connell, one of the founders of the organization, and accompanied the D2C team on one of their SEVA trips to Cayes Jacmel, Haiti. In Haiti, I absolutely fell in love with the kids, the island, the people of Haiti. It is an amazing place and D2C has a great philosophy about charitable assistance.

To learn more about D2C, visit their website here. To donate to D2C on behalf of my next trip, click here.

PREVIOUS CHARITIES:

These are the organizations I supported during my 2013 AT thru-hike. Feel free to check them out, too.

Empower SCI

Empower SCI is a residential program for newly spinal cord injured clients.

I met Carrie, one of the founders of Empower last year and referred somebody to the Empower pilot program in the summer of 2012. I can attest that he came back a changed person! He was so much happier, more confident, so much more -- empowered! I continue to be impressed with the work that Empower does.

Empower strives to fill the gap between "done with rehab" and "fully independent in life", a gap that unfortunately grows ever wider as the reimbursement pool continues to shrink and rehab stays get shorter. The program is held at the Stony Brook University campus in New York. Clients participate in traditional and group therapies, peer counseling, advanced wheelchair skills, and recreational therapies including adaptive sports, aquatics, yoga and meditation.

Cape Able Adventures

CAPE ABLE ADVENTURES is a Cape Cod based local chapter of Disabled Sports USA.

I became involved with CapeAble through the adaptive sport program at Spaulding Cape Cod. Craig, the founder of Cape Able, is a T9 paraplegic who has over 25 years of experience in adaptive sport. He's also an all-around great guy and a kick-ass bongo drum player!

Activities offered by CapeAble include bicycling, kayaking, tennis, camping, sailing, kite-flying, fishing, and yes, drum circles. CapeAble is also involved with the War Fighter weekends, which provides wounded vets with opportunities to trial a number of adaptive sports, hang out, camp and share their experiences with their peers.